UCLA Fielding's Dr. Jennifer Wagman receives UCLA Global Research Award
The award will support her work examining how violence and adversity influence mental health and infectious disease among youth in Uganda.
UCLA Fielding's Dr. Jennifer Wagman, associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, has received a UCLA Global Research Award to support her work examining how violence and adversity influence mental health and infectious disease among youth.
“This new study builds on our prior work on violence against women to examine how childhood adversity impacts health among Ugandan youth,” Wagman said. “By exploring the links between violence, mental health, and infectious diseases, we aim to inform evidence-based programs that promote resilience and strengthen child protection and health systems.”
In 2023, UCLA identified expanding its global reach as one of five strategic goals.
The UCLA Global Advisors Council recently awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to do just that. Winners of the council’s inaugural Global Education Award and Global Research Award include 26 individuals across the university.
A total of 10 received Global Research Awards, which vary between one-year seed grants (up to $10,000) and two-year research grants (up to $20,000) focused on expanding an existing domestic research project, enhancing one or more international partnerships or engaging students and other partners in a research initiative that addresses global issues.
Another 16 faculty, academic and non-ladder faculty professionals received Global Education Awards for Internationalizing Curriculum to revise a current course; design a new course; or design a new program, concentration or track that incorporates global perspectives. Award amounts ranged from $5,000 to $20,000.
Award recipients represent the breadth of UCLA’s education and research enterprise, including the UCLA divisions of social sciences, humanities and life sciences, as well as the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, the UCLA Library, Congo Basin Institute, Cotsen Archaeology Institute, Geffen School of Medicine, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Luskin School of Public Affairs and School of Theater, Film and Television.
Wagman's study - Childhood Adversity and Health Outcomes Among Ugandan Youth: A Mixed-Methods Study - will focus on the following:
Background
Violence against children (VAC) and broader adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect more than one billion youth globally and contribute to long-term risks including depression, anxiety, HIV, and tuberculosis (TB). While global research on ACEs has grown, most evidence comes from high-income countries, leaving gaps in low-resource contexts like Uganda, where over half the population is under 18 and youth face rising mental health challenges alongside dual HIV/TB epidemics.
Methods
This mixed-methods study will assess how household-based VAC and adversity influence mental health and infectious disease outcomes among Ugandan youth. Phase 1 will use four rounds of Africa Medical and Behavioral Sciences Organization (AMBSO) Population Health Surveillance (APHS) cohort data (2018– 2023; >26,000 participants) to examine prevalence, co-occurrence, and associations of VAC, intimate partner violence (IPV), and household adversity with depressive symptoms, anxiety, HIV, and TB outcomes. Phase 2 will include ~30 key informant interviews with youth-serving professionals and 6–8 focus group discussions with children (13–14 years), adolescents (15–19 years), young adults (20–24 years), and caregivers in Hoima and Wakiso districts.
Expected Outcomes
Findings will inform integrated child protection and health services in Uganda, build research capacity, and contribute urgently needed context-specific evidence to the global discourse on VAC and ACEs.
